What should I roll first, skills or abilities?
However, since the first roll didn't give me any options, the order seems irrelevant.
Skills, roll.
Are. You. Shitting. Me??!
Fishing? Singing? Wooing? What?
What does x7 mean?
A bonus for learning speed? Then it's not skills, but talents, which are useless for me right now.
Or amount of new knowledge? Or some efficiency multiplier for existing skills? If so, it's not a lot, but plausible considering the "Apprentice System" name.
I really hope it’s some kind of universal bonus. If so…
5/5 Fishing
For surviving in the wild, Fishing skill is pretty decent choice. Especially if "Hunting-1" also extends to fishing feats. Which is logical.
Though I don't know when I will find a pond. So I probably shouldn’t pick any skills until I’ve checked my surroundings.
Fishing also has the highest quality level.
But the statistical distribution of quality levels is really odd. 5/5, 4/5, 4/5, 3/5, 2/5. Either all quality levels have similar roll chances, which is too good to be real.
Or the result of this roll has some kind of starting bonus. Which makes Fishing skill even more valuable. I don't know when I will see another 5/5 skill, if ever.
4/5 Singing
If I had spawned in the city, it would have been a simple and reliable way to earn money. And an enormous help with relationship achievements.
Cultural plagiarism is one of the most common isekai tropes for a reason. Creation of good verses, songs, stories, tunes is hard, 'a few really good ones per life' level of hard. Popular ones - orders of magnitude harder.
With a Singing skill and my music knowledge, I'd be able to climb the social ladder rather easily, regardless of the peculiarities of the local culture or my familiarity with the local languages.
If I'm in a feudal world, then the position of a court singer is perhaps one of the best I can get.
But once again, I don't know when I'll find civilization, or whether civilization even exists on this planet at all. And if this universe isn’t a musical one, then until I find civilization, Fishing significantly outmatches Singing.
4/5 Wooing
It all comes down to what the skills really provide.
If it's a lot of knowledge and learning speed, then in cities Wooing skill is much better than Singing.
I can earn points through relationships. Wooing and gender relations - aren’t just a huge part of personal relationships - they’re the most interesting part
Wooing could also give me top-notch information about 50% of humanity, which would raise my overall emotional and social-awareness intelligence, adaptation speed to local cultures.
In the long run, it's also undoubtedly better than Fishing.
But I'm not in a fucking city, and don't have time for fucking long-term investments!
I don't...
Fuck...
By "...and, you know, obvious one..." Astra meant the possibility of gaining relationship points with the women in the chat?
Is that possible?
Isn’t that a bit too easy and convenient to be real? Almost automatic.
Even if it’s impossible, I should still be able to get "exchange points" for lessons about information I get from Wooing.
If I decide to take Wooing, I’ll have to be very careful when explaining my reasons to the women in the chat.
3/5 Scrapping
For cities, it’s an excellent kickstart to wealth through repair and basic crafting. Also, relative to my old life, it’s a perfectly suited skill for me.
But again, right now I'm in the wild.
And it's too complementary to me to be useful.
Min-maxing is effective only in games, where the game mechanics themselves cover most of the possible weaknesses.
Okey, that’s not entirely true. In real life, min-maxing is still possible by exchanging professionalism for money - a universal problem-solving resource. Or, perhaps, via a degree in psychology or mathematic.
But overall, especially in my situation, the idea that constantly improving one's strengths is better than covering one's weaknesses, which tend to amplify each other and rise the risk of multi-vector attacks on them, is madness.
Hmm... Strangely enough, I'm actually glad I don't have Stat-points mechanic. Yeah, I need Stats. But at least I still have the freedom to choose something other than the most universal Luck or Agility builds.
2/5 Programming
It's wonderful that skills aren't confined to fantasy ones.
Even if skills have an "apprentice level ceiling", the synergistic effects from combining a few magical and technological skills should be terrifyingly powerful.
Programming skill... it can be useful regardless of my world setting.
Programming is all about algorithms, which in turn rely on universal logical and statistically related subskills.
The popular trope "magic and rune languages like programming ones" exists not because it's cool, but because there aren't many alternatives for describing and using complex dynamic causality except through algorithmic structures.
Alas, unless the System was created by multiversal Australians, with a 2/5 quality Programming skill is worse than everything else.
Hopefully, I'll be able to reopen the selection window once it's closed...
Yes, it's working.
Now, let's look at abilities.
5/5 Enginseeker...
Why couldn't I have spawned in a city?!
If the description mentioned memorization bonuses, I'd say "fuck it, nice compass!" and pick it instantly.
Without a memorization bonus...
Enginseeker is basically about discovering and mastering all engineering tech trees in the world.
That’s a great long-term goal for any world with developed civilizations.
At the same time, it is too much strategic, late-game, and niche to be irresistible even for me.
This also another proof that there are some starting bonuses, and that rolls aren't entirely random.
5/5 Bow: Elemental Multishot
The first direct mention of magic and the first reliable information about the dangers of this world.
Elemental Multishot - a high-tier attacking ability. Abilities like this are usually meant for high-tier enemies. Which should outline how strong those enemies are.
Activating it requires a charge, which replenishes at one per minute rate. And either a magical arrow or the application of a magical elemental effect onto it.
Meeting those conditions gives the user an effect whose power...
...firearms are somewhere around 0,5–2,5kJ, so...
A few bursts from an assault rifle per minute for a single charge?
At first glance, not bad. Yet there's a catch - magic arrows not bullets.
The main efficiency of a bullet comes not from its kinetic energy alone, but from concentrating that energy into very small pieces of durable metal, and by efficiently using other durable metal.
For "charged arrows" it's better to measure such energy in kilowatt-hours, which means...
Roughly a couple of kilowatts for a couple of seconds?
Let's assume magical effects have near-perfect energy efficiency, thanks to the absence of conversion steps and resistance losses.
Then, the power of the original plus duplicate arrows on 40kJ should be...
...let's say, something that can outright kill an enraged elephant or shock to death a tight group of thugs.
Every 10 minutes, within about 20-30 seconds, an archer can fire 10 such volleys.
In a low-magic settings, whether as igniting fireballs on a medieval battlefield, or used for a Hit & Run tactic, such power is terrifyingly destructive.
In a high-magic setting, that's peanuts. Even against non-magic enemies, it's just "house- level" of power.
Even if an archer were to fire all 10+10 arrows in one second, with a 200+200kJ cumulative effect, that would still be about 5–15 times weaker than the energy of an artillery shell or a tank round.
Of course, there are many unknowns. For example, what exactly does "elemental effects" mean? Classic five elements? Such "elements" as void, smoke, plasma, and so on? Or what about the power contribution from original and duplicate arrows?
But overall, this level of power is definitely not suited to a high-magic setting.
And unlikely to fit a low-magic too. Since those typically lack both magical arrows and magical effects for arrows.
Therefore, it's likely that I'm in the upper end of a low-magic world, or the lower end of a medium-magic one.
Worryingly. If this is right, then either I'm very near a human settlement, or my starting location some sort of test of my luck.
Regarding the ability itself, despite the massive potential for abuse of ex nihilo energy creation, the ability has an absolutely ludicrous number of prerequisites. Pass.
4/5 Casual Wear
The best part of this ability - auto-repair.
Sure, the possibility to wear hidden weightless armor with an invisible helmet, or even two sets of armor at once, is great.
But in terms of convenience, economics, autonomy, and quality, the auto-repair is a completely different beast.
Many best by their own protective properties materials are rather brittle, short-lived, difficult to process, expensive to craft and repair.
But not with Casual Wear! Which, theoretically, makes it possible to create even cheap, reusable ablative composite armor.
Fuck, if this works the way I think it does, maybe even a mechanical exoskeleton! Because with Casual Wear, I wouldn't need any production line, just ONE high-quality prototype and nothing else!
Then there are the possibilities of auto-repair exploits.
If I assign outerwear with golden buttons and start removing them, will they regenerate?
Logically, they should regenerate.
If buttons can be lost after an enemy attack and then regenerate, wouldn’t they after my own actions?
Now, there may also be various restrictive shenanigans, like the slow disappearance of detached parts. But nothing like this is mentioned in the description!
Maybe because of another unclear limitation - "select one BASIC set of outerwear."
Basic? Does it refer to style? Complexity? Materials? Complexity? Materials? And if it’s materials, what about their quantity and quality?
Would very simple clothes with a single button and a thin mithril coating still count as “simple”?
How about pants and a jacket made from an extremely expensive but otherwise "normal" fabric? Will Casual Wear let me open a elite handkerchiefs and scarves store, or not?
This uncertainty is driving me crazy. Especially now, because the answer to this questions is fucking important.
If material-regeneration exploit actually works, then I'd basically have an unlimited supply of fabric from a shirt, jeans, socks, underpants. Leather from a belt and boots. Probably a good thermal insulator from the boot soles. Steel and simple nails from the belt buckle. Ropes from shoelaces and parts of elastic waistband of underpants.
The sheer range of stuff I could craft from an unlimited amount of those materials is insane.
But if regeneration doesn't work that way, than Casual Wear becomes almost useless until I either reach a civilization or find some reliable way to earn "exchange points."
3/5 Parasite Repulsion
Repulsion, not protection. Still, a very versatile one. It's better to wait until the evening before choosing at least a second ability.
Quite possible that, because of some magical mosquitoes, this ability could end up being my only lifeline.
3/5 Steel Limbs
2-3mm, perhaps up to 4mm, of tool-steel coating over limbs...
If such a coating were spread over the whole body, it would be an amazing ability. Especially because of "ALL the positive properties of steel."
Alas. Limited to just the limbs, and without any strength buffs, it’s more of a “not bad supportive ability” than a “great, this is exactly what I need!”
Nonetheless, it's the first defensive ability that's actually practical for me.
3/5 Treasure Hunting: sight
The most useless one. At best, it can be used as a poor man's X-ray vision, and to differentiate magical items from non-magical ones.
2/4 Thermal Adaptation
From a purely practical perspective, this is probably the most useful ability so far. And one more reason to delay choosing until nightfall.
2/7 Triple-jump
Potentially quite useful for height mobility or long-range attack builds. And completely useless without complementary skills and abilities.
1/5 Slow Blood Regeneration
+1 to hold-up reasons. The ability to choose superpowers exactly when you need them is, in itself, a superpower.
1/5 Squirrel Familiars
Before getting this ability, I was certain that a ability's quality determine its versatility. However, this one is surprisingly versatile for a first quality level.
Easy theft, convenient distraction, cheap suicide drones, the possibility of psychological warfare. Not one, but TWO anonymous couriers.
Or is this wishful thinking? This ability isn't about magic familiars. Even with a x2 bonus, squirrels should still be rather stupid creatures. Even so, higher quality levels of this skill must be amazing.
15 skills and abilities...
Zero! Zero skills or abilities that can actually defending me from wolves!
Despite the clear starting bonuses and at least some adjustment of rolls to me.
FUCK!
[ BUSTED ]
It’s almost certain that only the first 5 skills and the first 5 abilities were rolled with a starting bonus. The 5 lowest-quality abilities was rolled without, and are typical for normal abilities rolls.
Therefore, "Apprentice" from "Apprentice System" mean that typical System awards will have modest-convenient level of usefulness.
Nevertheless, now I also know that my middle and late-game builds can be really amazing. 3 free rolls plus 51+51 base points, that's at least 3+10 skills and abilities. Or 5 and 1 System upgrade.
Plus, let's hope that Astra right, and I will have the possibility to receive a fuckton of cultivation medicine and magic artifacts via chat.
Plus wealth from cross-dimensional trade.
Hypothetically fucking speaking.
Author's Note:
Behind the scenes, there are several plotwise explanations for MC's starting location, it's not accident.
However, when it comes to the rolls, from Watsonian perspective, he really isn't very lucky. And here are a few reasons why.
During rolls, at least one option always provides a partial answer to the user's current needs. And another option - aligned with the user's personality, knowledge, and desires.
But right now MC rather shallow immediate problems, and his properties are almost the opposite of what he needs for options useful in the wild.
In the context of MC's world, all options are rather good. And a few seemingly inconspicuous are very powerful under the right circumstances.